There’s a certain allure to the all-you-can-eat buffet. It’s a chance to walk into one restaurant and try foods of almost every variety. However, you need to be careful when eating at the buffet. After all, this is a shared experience between you and other diners who are eating food that is quickly prepared and protected only by a sneeze guard. You want to be cautious during your next buffet trip, so consider this list of the all-you-can-eat food items you should never try.
There are food items on this list for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the food may be cooked fresh, but then it may not be stored properly. That’s often the case with seafood. There are also many chicken dishes, like chicken salad or fried chicken, that must be made and maintained just right or you have the chance of food poisoning and other issues.
There are also some food items on this list that aren’t exactly harmful, but they pose their own issues. For instance, buffets often put bread at the front of the line or offer you free soda refills because the restaurant management knows you’ll fill up on that first and you may not be hungry for more. That’s how they prevent everyone from truly getting “all they can eat.”
To create this list of the all-you-can-eat food items you should never try, 24/7 Tempo consulted various culinary sources, including the Food Network and All Recipes. We also gathered information from the Centers for Disease Control. We find that this list is a good warning of what not to do at the buffet. After all, you deserve a good meal. So instead, next time you’re looking to eat out, consider this list of the best fine dining restaurants in every state.
Whatever is at the Start of the Line
Wherever you go for your buffet, try to avoid eating whatever is at the start of the food line, at least for a while. Undoubtedly, what’s at the start of the line is likely the most delicious, and that’s the point. Buffet owners want you to get full with the first items so you don’t feel like going back and completing your mission to consume “all you can eat.” That’s their tactic to get your money. If anything, come back later for these items. Often, it will be potato or bread items at the start since they’re most filling.
Soda
Soda is another ploy to fill you up before you can really get going on the rest of the buffet items. Go to enough buffets, and you likely notice that they give you large cups for your soda and they make it all-you-can-drink. That’s because soda costs are very low in most restaurants, and it’s filling. You can still drink soda at the buffet, but just don’t go overboard or you’ll likely be too full to continue.
Lemons
You should generally try to avoid lemons anywhere you go. Whether it’s the buffet or a five-star restaurant, lemons aren’t known for being the most well-kept items in the kitchen. Many times they’re left sitting around cut open and collecting gems. Many people believe that lemons have more bacteria than most other things in the kitchen, so try to avoid them and don’t ask for one for your drink.
Salad
Yes, one of the all-you-can-eat food items you should never try is lettuce and other uncooked greens. It’s hard to believe, considering that most buffets and salad bars have salad. The problem is that many salad bars are not kept at the proper temperature, so if you eat them, you could be looking at E. Coli and other health ailments. Feel the lettuce and make sure it’s cold if you do decide to add some to your plate.
Chicken Salad
For similar reasons, you should also avoid eating chicken salad. Yes, it may have fewer calories, but you may pay a different price. When combined, this meal can have a lot of bacteria. This is especially true if the lettuce is above 41 degrees. That means it hasn’t been kept at a proper temperature and so the chances of E. coli are higher.
Sprouts
If you’re like many people, you may be tempted to add sprouts on top of your salad, but you should reconsider. The issue with sprouts, in general, is that they grow in a damp environment, which makes them difficult to properly clean. The result could be bacteria and eventual sickness.
Onion Rings
Try to avoid the onion rings and most other fried foods on the all-you-can-eat line if possible. The fear here is cross-contamination. In most restaurants, many of the different fried items are cooked in the same oil. That means the onion rings might be in the same oil as the fried shrimp. In addition to sounding gnarly, both foods may start to taste like each other.
Pudding
Though it may sound tasty, pudding and custards are among the all-you-can-eat food items you should never try. Pudding is delicious when prepared properly. However, if the pudding was made from raw or lightly cooked eggs, then there’s an increased chance of salmonella and other foodborne illnesses. It’s impossible to know how well the eggs were cooked at a buffet, so it’s best to stay away.
Quiche
If you’re lucky enough to get the freshly made quiche, then you may be okay. However, if you don’t know how long ago it was prepared, you should stay away. When improperly stored at warmer temperatures, the cooked eggs in quiche can harbor E. Coli. Cooked egg casseroles need to be cooked to a proper internal temperature to be safe. It’s simply too hard to know if it’s safe to eat.
Oysters
One of the all-you-can-eat food items you should never try is oysters. They may look fancy, and you may want to impress the other diners by getting them, but you could pay a dear price. Oysters must be prepared and maintained properly. If they aren’t, they could house vibrio bacteria, which is a frequent cause of food poisoning. The disease that’s found in oysters can also be deadly. This is another case where if you don’t know exactly how the food was prepared, you probably shouldn’t eat it.
Crawfish
If you’re going to eat crawfish at a buffet, you’re better off going to the coast where it is guaranteed to be fresh. If you are getting it in the middle of the country, do so at your own risk. When crawfish are not fresh, it can lead to food poisoning and other health conditions. It is better to steer clear.
Sushi
Unless you’re eating sushi at a sushi restaurant, or at least a restaurant on the coast, then eat with caution. In order to prevent sickness, raw seafood must be stored at the proper temperature and other contamination measures must be in place to ensure it’s tasty and safe. On top of that, the goal of a buffet is to get you fuller faster so they can preserve their bottom line, and so you may get more rice than fish, and it’s all just not worth it.
Rolls
Just like how eating too much sushi can get you fuller quicker, so can bread. There’s typically nothing wrong with the dinner rolls at a buffet. In fact, they may be the most delicious thing on the line, especially if they are warm. However, the goal of the restaurant is to get you full right away so you pay the same but eat less. The bread will quickly fill you up, and that defeats the purpose of being there in the first place.
Tuna
The trend of dangerous seafood continues with tuna. Tuna requires special care. It must be kept at a colder temperature than most other types of fish because the chance of bacteria is more likely. Once served, tuna must still stay cold. If it’s left out at room temperature for close to two hours, the chances of bacteria increases. Beware of tuna salad and tuna steaks because they pose the same dangers.
Sweet and Sour Dishes
If you’re heading to the Chinese buffet, be aware of the sweet and sour dishes. Typically, this type of dish contains pieces of deep-fried meat that are smothered in a syrupy sauce. The problem with this dish is that it’s very unhealthy for you. One serving of sweet and sour chicken typically contains over 1,500 calories, and if you keep returning to the line, you’re going to get more calories than you should consume all day. Instead, go for lean chicken breasts for your helping of protein.
Egg Salad
When eggs aren’t prepared or kept properly, they spell danger, especially the risk of salmonella. If you love egg salad, inspect it before eating at the buffet. If it looks and feels soft, it may be undercooked and can lead to food poisoning. Egg salad must be kept cold or it could pose problems. When you’re at the buffet, ensure that the eggs are in a bowl that’s on ice, and if it isn’t, avoid it like the plague.
Cantaloupe
It is certainly a wise idea to try the healthiest foods you can at a buffet, but some fresh fruit makes the list of all-you-can-eat food items you should never try. One of them is cantaloupe. It must be kept at a perfect temperature or it could make you sick. That’s because cantaloupe is more susceptible to salmonella than many other fruit varieties. Go for something else, like pineapples or unpeeled oranges.
Any Foods That Have a Shared Utensil
It’s a good idea to bring your own utensils when getting food out of buffet trays. If there’s a shared utensil there, don’t use it. For one, it’s too likely that someone has sneezed or coughed on the utensil or potentially even put it in their mouth. The other issue is that if a utensil goes from one food to another, there’s a chance of cross-contamination, and that can be particularly dangerous, especially if you have food allergies.
Open condiments
If you love condiments of any kind, be very careful at any buffet. Be especially cautious of condiments that are served in open trays, which can also be the case for the salad dressing. When there’s nothing covering the condiments or dressing, there’s a good chance that people have either sneezed or put their fingers in it. You should also be wary of condiments that are in dispensers that everyone uses. Even if it’s closed, people are putting their hands all over it. If you want ketchup or mustard, ask someone who works at the restaurant for your own bottle.
Fondue
Perhaps the most delicious treat on this list of all-you-can-eat food items you should never try is the fondue fountain. In order for this continuously cascading chocolate to work and taste right, it shouldn’t be touched by anything, including hands or sneezes. Unless you’re at an up-scale buffet, there’s a chance that kids have coughed or touched that fondue, and that can transfer to you. If it’s not behind a sneeze guard, you probably shouldn’t eat it. If you want to try chocolate you’re guaranteed to love, check out this list of the 25 best chocolate shops in America.